The work-life shift from kitchen table to cubicle may end up costing workers more money in the long haul.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
More workplaces are calling employees back to the office four or five days a week. Major Canadian companies including Toronto-Dominion Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Rogers Communications Inc. and Bank of Nova Scotia have all called staff back, with many starting this fall.
This work-life shift from kitchen table to cubicle may end up costing workers more money in the long haul.
When they do return, they must consider the added financial expenses that were eliminated, or at least reduced, during remote or hybrid work conditions. Employees should expect to spend more money on commuting, work attire, lunches, coffees and after-work drinks. There are less obvious costs to consider, too, such as child care and pet care.
David Del Grande was working in the office two days a week, but his employer recently called all workers back to a four-day workweek in the office, effective in the coming months. He expects his expenses to rise when it comes to child care now that he must enroll his child in after-school care five days a week as opposed to fewer days when he worked in the office just twice a week.
“One of the ways I’m looking at saving costs and a way that’s also good for my health is using Bike Share to commute downtown or at least go one way back at the end of the workday,” says Mr. Del Grande, who works in the banking sector.
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The Toronto resident has a grocery store near his office where he can shop on lunch breaks, but worries he’ll spend more on items rather than shopping after work at a cheaper store closer to his house.
To curb costs, he plans to pack lunches, his go-to meal prep being “hard-boiled eggs and a couple of tangerines,” and take advantage of the free coffee from his office.
When creating a budget for the added expenses of returning to the office, Becky Western-Macfadyen, financial coaching and education manager at Credit Canada, recommends implementing what she calls a “sustainable spending” framework. This strategy involves, using the acronym ABC: A for analyzing your income and expenses, B for brainstorming what you can do to either increase income or cut spending, and C for changing your approach.
Ms. Western-Macfadyen encourages her clients to look for creative alternatives. For transportation, “there’s carpooling or ride-share swaps you could do with friends, even with someone who might not work in the same building as you,” she says.
Food is a top cost for workers returning to the office, according to Cindy Marques, CFP, director of financial planning at Open Access Ltd. “Nowadays, you can’t really get a lunch that’s less than $20,” she says. “So, if we assume $20.50 a day, that’s $100 a week, $400 a month. That’s a lot.”
Ms. Western-Macfadyen recommends ditching the cafeteria line by bringing a packed lunch from home. “It is more costly to buy out of home, you’re paying for a service, then there’s tipping involved often.” Grocery shopping encourages price comparison, which may help reduce costs. She suggests using apps such as Too Good To Go for surplus food at reduced cost, participating in meal swaps with friends and family, and cooking larger meals that will leave leftovers for lunch the next day.
To cushion child care costs, Ms. Western-Macfadyen proposes an unconventional approach. “Can you look at doing child care swaps or exchange child care coverage with someone who works a different shift or even nanny-share to team up with another family to share the cost of a caregiver?” she asks.
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People who spent the past five years working from home clad in the pressed button-up and pyjama-pant outfit combo, may feel the need to shop for new work attire. Ms. Marques warns against overspending by sticking to the basics and investing in a few pairs of structured jeans, a blazer, T-shirts, a nice pair of sneakers and dress shoes. She notes that workers returning to the office can get away with more business-casual attire than previously, alleviating the pressure to splurge on a three-piece suit.
Before you purchase your second or third coffee of the day, Ms. Western-Macfadyen offers some tough-love advice. “Are you working for you to be able to buy coffee? Probably not,” she says. “If I were to ask you what your purpose of your money is, you probably would come up with something like family, experiences or education, rather than coffee.”
The sentiment around full-time office work has changed drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic gave way to a transformation of workplace conduct and productivity. Remote work showed Canadian employees that it is possible to continue business as usual behind a screen, as opposed to traditional in-person work.
It’s not only money that workers may feel is depleted as they shift from remote to office work, it’s also their time. “The time spent commuting takes a hit on your mental health and when you’re feeling burnt out and exhausted, that usually does lead to poor spending decisions overall,” says Ms. Marques. “Not only are you buying lunches and coffees when you’re at work, but you come home and you’re exhausted from that trip and you don’t feel like making dinner, so maybe you’re ordering takeout again.”
To mitigate commute burnout, Ms. Marques suggests asking your employer to be transferred to a branch that’s closer to your home. To navigate the lifestyle change, Ms. Western-Macfadyen advocates for leaning on community and having discussions in advance about your increased expenses with co-workers or employers if it’s causing you uncertainty. “You don’t know unless you talk about it,“ she says. ”It’s a missed opportunity to just get those ideas, get some support, get the accountability. It’s a give and take.”